La Costa Losses Start at the Top

By THOMAS BONK

Feb. 27, 1999 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

CARLSBAD —

So the very first event of the so-called World Golf Championships has a $5-million prize, a $1-million check for the winner, a nice sponsor and a pretty golf course. But what it doesn’t have is Tiger Woods.

In fact, as far as stars go, this thing’s a black hole. This is what the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship has come down to: Four guys in caps.

When today’s semifinals begin at La Costa, the only players left with a chance at a cool, million-dollar payday are Jeff Maggert, Andrew Magee, John Huston and Steve Pate, who fall somewhat short of a Fearsome Foursome.

Together, they’ve won 16 PGA Tour events, which is what? How many David Duval wins before June?

Anyway, while it’s terrific one of them is going to cash his golf Lotto ticket Sunday, the fact is that none of them are considered the greatest players in the game . . . not that it matters much now.

As Woods reminded everybody again Friday, that’s the way it goes in match play, which is what ABC learned in its newspaper ads Friday morning that featured Woods in addition to Duval and Ernie Els, and neither of those guys have been around here since Thursday morning.

The best idea is to forget the rankings. Repeat after me, said Woods: There are no upsets in match play . . . there are no upsets. . . .

“The rankings don’t mean much,” said Woods, who is ranked No. 1. “Anybody can beat anybody. That’s what’s been happening all week.”

Yes, but it didn’t happen to Woods until Maggert bagged him, 2 and 1, in the round of eight in the afternoon.

Woods said he was frustrated and disappointed.

“Why? I didn’t win,” he said. “Plain and simple.”

Well, there is that. But Woods was 2-up after three holes and still 1-up after nine before Maggert got it going. Woods thought the match swung on the par-five 12th hole, where he yanked a five-iron second shot into a bunker left of the green and could manage no better than par. Maggert, who hit a three-wood over the green, made birdie to go 1-up.

“Tiger struggled a bit,” Maggert said. “He probably wasn’t as sharp.

“I know people expect Tiger to roll off a victory or two every month that he’s out here, but there are good players out here and if you struggle a bit, you’re not going to win.

“Sometimes the underdogs come up and do something good.”

Pate dusted Eduardo Romero of Argentina, 3 and 2, after going 4-up through six holes. In today’s semifinals, Pate plays Maggert.

Pate was asked whether it was good for the event that a more attractive semifinal involving, say, Woods and Duval, had not happened.

“Well, it’s good for me,” he said.

Magee plays Huston in the other semifinal. Magee won the 17th hole with par and ousted Shigeki Maruyama of Japan, 1-up. Huston birdied only one of the last eight holes, but it was enough to grind his way past Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, 2 and 1.

It was a long day of match play that began with 16 players and eight matches in the morning, followed by eight players and four more matches in the afternoon. By lunch, Woods was the only player left ranked in the top 20.

Woods eclipsed Stewart Cink, 2 and 1, in his morning match, helped along the way by a birdie at No. 12. Cink missed his birdie chance at the same hole. Woods said he thought he played all right, but Cink had a different opinion on the style of play.

“It was a contest to see who could play the ugliest, and I won the contest,” Cink said.

Then there were No. 12 Phil Mickelson and No. 13 Fred Couples, who didn’t make it past lunch. Romero went 21 holes to defeat Mickelson, and Pate bumped Couples, 1-up.

Maggert earned his shot at Woods by defeating Bernhard Langer in the morning, 1-up. Maggert called the match “pretty ugly golf,” but, hey, he guaranteed himself a $150,000 check anyway, proving that ugly pays off handsomely.

Of course, after knocking off Woods, Maggert promptly doubled his minimum payday to $300,000.

Maggert is the highest-ranking player left in the semifinals at No. 24. Huston is No. 27, Magee is No. 50 and Pate is No. 61.

Woods said it’s no surprise that the Match Play has been one big surprise party. That’s the way it is with the format they’re playing, he said, so get used to it.

“When you get the top 64 players in the world and you give them just one round of golf, then, yeah, anything can happen,” Woods said. “I think if you would make 36-hole matches, then I think you are going to see the better player come out on top. But then, playing 36-hole matches would wear you out a little bit.”

He sounded worn out just saying it.

Today’s Matches

Semifinals of the World Match Play Championship at La Costa:

Jeff Maggert vs. Steve Pate

Andrew Magee vs. John Huston

Semi Tough

Whom the semifinalists defeated in the Match Play Championship at La Costa:

JEFF MAGGERT

1st: Fred Funk, 2-up.

2nd: Nick Price, 1-up.

3rd: Bernhard Langer, 1-up.

4th: Tiger Woods, 2 and 1.